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Reading is the best medicine

In my newly busy life, I’ve found it hard to carve out time to read (and write, but, ah, yeah, let’s not talk about that). However, for any writer anywhere, especially if you’re in a writing funk as us 5/5/5ers seem to be, then books are the answer.

Why not TV? TV is awesome and fun and easy to do. But that’s exactly why it’s good escapism, but bad for your writing health. Oh, it may give you a few good ideas about story or character or even some pretty visuals, but nothing beats words actually entering your head from your eyes.

But books do take time. I’ve never been a speed-reader so I tend to avoid War and Peace-size books and gravitate towards the ones that are about 400-500 pages. Oh sure, tomes like Game of Thrones sneaks in (you know what, I have to confess I have a soft spot for super chubby fantasy books – 800 pages ones) but mostly what I read can be read in a week.

If I take the time.

Kardashians! Not Cardassians!!!!

So these last few weeks, I’ve made a greater effort to make the time. I’ve not watched Survivor or hockey or anything to do with the Kardashians (not that I ever did). I’ve tried to go to bed a little earlier so I can have time to read.

And it’s working. By reading words well written, I’m getting inspired with ideas and characters and locations and all of that writing stuff. It’s the first step to recovery, I think. It’s that step that hopefully gets me back to the love of writing.

Ah, the Martian Chronicles. So good.

Hey, think back. What inspired you to write? Odds are it was another book. For me, it was grade 7. Mr. Moore’s class. He read to us Ray Bradbury and all I wanted to do was run home and write about martians and aliens. I still do in some way.

Now, however, I have all these voices in my head that say I can’t do this or I can’t sell that. I have to find a way to deal with those voices, but in the meantime, I’m returning to the beginning. To how I got started.

To reading.

So what books inspired you to write?

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Best show last week – As per the post, I didn’t watch much but I did spend an hour with Battle Creek. Funny show. Created by the dudes who made Breaking Bad and it features a gung-ho FBI agent sent to a bankrupt small town.

Book that I’m reading at the moment – Finished Brent Weeks. The Way of Shadows, and his next book, Shadow’s Edge. I’m on his last one now.

Pages written on new book– Got 20 fun pages done on characters. Does that count? Probably not, but again, it’s better than nothing.

Social media update – 1 blog every 2 days on my step-dad site about my experience as a chaperone on a grade 7 camping trip. Fun times, let me tell you. Check it out.

Health– OMG, finally better. Dare I say I’m in good health or am I tempting fate to give me another infection.

Best thing last week– Well, it was actually on March 8th, but my best friend got married. Congratulations Sheila and Gord. Beautiful wedding.

Worst thing– My laptop has problems, again. Grrrrr. I have a loop of word file syncs that somehow shuts down my computer.

About Joe Cummings

Aquarius. Traveler. Gamer. Writer. A New Parent.
4 of these things are easy. One is not.
But the journey is that much better for the new people in my life. A life I want to share with others, to help them, maybe, to make them feel less alone, sure, to connect with the greater world, absolutely.

3 thoughts on “Reading is the best medicine”

Good one Joe. Geesh, I don’t know about Helga and Karalee – but if you, Paula and I are examples, becoming a writer seems to lead to … doing less reading. Does that make sense? Of course not! Enjoy the reading and let it magically inspire you.

I, too, am seeking to re-kindle the fire by reverting to rereading some of my best loved early books! I love it when we have such synergy and similar ‘writers’ journey’ leading up to a big writing meeting!